ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
The increasing prevalence of suicide attempts and cases among Malaysian young adults, particularly those aged 18 to 40, necessitates urgent research and intervention strategies. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between attachment styles and personal resilience among young adults in Malaysia engaged in romantic relationships. This cross-sectional survey research recruited 124 participants aged 18 to 40 involved in romantic relationships. The Relationships Questionnaire (RQ), the Resilience Scale (RS), and sociodemographic information were utilized to assess attachment styles and personal resilience. The findings of this study revealed a significant correlation between secure attachment style and personal resilience among Malaysian young adults in romantic relationships. The secure attachment style emerged as the prevailing one within this population, compared to the preoccupied attachment style. The finding also indicated that the overall level of resilience among young adults in Malaysia ranges from moderately low to moderate. Future research should explore additional factors influencing resilience, such as social support and cultural influences. Longitudinal studies can identify critical intervention points and developmental trajectories of attachment styles and resilience. This study also discusses the implication and contribution of the current study.
Aragon, R. S. (2021). Personal strengths and compassionate love for the partner in Mexico. Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships, 15(1), 20–35. https://doi.org/10.5964/ijpr.4537
Armitage, C. J., Panagioti, M., Abdul Rahim, W., Rowe, R., & O’Connor, R. C. (2015). Completed suicides and self-harm in Malaysia: A systematic review. General Hospital Psychiatry, 37(2), 153–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2014.12.002
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(2), 226–244. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226
Bartley, M., Head, J., & Stansfeld, S. (2007). Is attachment style a source of resilience against health inequalities at work? Social Science & Medicine, 64(4), 765–775. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.09.033
Basal, F., Onur, S., Yamac, D., Karacin, C., Zengin, G., Bilgetekin, ?., Demirci, U., & Oksuzoglu, B. (2020). Does a secure attachment style predict high psychological resilience in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy? Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.10954
Beckwith, L., Cohen, S. E., & Hamilton, C. E. (1999). Maternal sensitivity during infancy and subsequent life events relate to attachment representation at early adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 35(3), 693–700. https://doi.org/10.1037//0012-1649.35.3.693
Cakar, F. S. (2020). The role of gender and income level in the relationship between ego functions and resilience. Journal of Educational Issues, 6(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.5296/jei.v6i1.16276
Chan, S. L., Ding, J. D. S., Ng, L. V. (2019). Personal resilience on romantic relationship dissolution among emerging young adults. In Adam Assim, M. I. S. et al. (Eds.), The Proceeding of International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities 2019, Bintulu Sarawak, Malaysia (pp. 419-427). Universiti Putra Malaysia Kampus Bintulu. http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/76487/1/ICOSSH2019-18.pdf
Chan, S. L., & Lau, P. L. (2021). The mediating effects of resilience in the relationship of sexual involvement and romantic relationship dissolution. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 29(2), 867 - 885. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.29.2.07
Citak, C., & Erten, E. (2021). Impact of childhood trauma and attachment on resilience in remitted patients with bipolar disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 280, 219–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.11.025
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.112.1.155
Cyr, C., Euser, E. M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & Van Ijzendoorn, M. H. (2010). Attachment security and disorganization in maltreating and high-risk families: A series of meta-analyses. Development and Psychopathology, 22(1), 87–108. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579409990289
Del Giudice, M., & Belsky, J. (2010). Sex differences in attachment emerge in middle childhood: An evolutionary hypothesis. Society for Research in Child Development, 4(2), 97–105.
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York, NY: WW Norton.
Fergus, S., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2005). Adolescent resilience: A framework for understanding healthy development in the face of risk. Annual Review of Public Health, 26(1), 399–419. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144357
Fraley, R. C., Waller, N. G., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). An item-response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), 350–365. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.2.350
Harms, P. D., Brady, L., Wood, D., & Silard, A. (2018). Resilience and well-being. In E. Diener, S. Oishi, & L. Tay (Eds.), Handbook of well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers.
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(3), 511–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.511
Jackson, D., Firtko, A., & Edenborough, M. (2007). Personal resilience as a strategy for surviving and thriving in the face of workplace adversity: A literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04412.x
Jebraeili, H., Habibi, M., & Nazemi, A. (2019). Mediating role of resilience and tendency to addiction regarding the effect of gender on substance use. Journal of Research and Health, 9(3), 236–245. https://doi.org/10.29252/jrh.9.3.236
Labrague, L. J., & Santos, J. A. A. (2020). COVID?19 anxiety among front?line nurses: Predictive role of organisational support, personal resilience and social support. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(7), 1653–1661. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13121
Leak, G. K., & Cooney, R. R. (2001). Self-determination, attachment styles, and well-being in adult romantic relationships. Representative Research in Social Psychology, 25, 55–62.
Marriner, P., Cacioli, J-P., & Moore, K. A. (2014). The relationship of attachment to resilience and their impact on perceived stress. In K. Kaniasty, K. A. Moore, S. Howard, & P. Buchwald (Eds.), Stress and Anxiety: Applications to Social and Environmental Threats, Psychological Well-Being, Occupational Challenges, and Developmental Psychology (pp. 73–81). Logos Verlag.
Mcdonald, G., Jackson, D., Wilkes, L., & Vickers, M. (2013). Personal resilience in nurses and midwives: Effects of a work-based educational intervention. Contemporary Nurse, 45(1), 134–143. https://doi.org/10.5172/conu.2013.45.1.134
Morey, J. N., Gentzler, A. L., Creasy, B., Oberhauser, A. M., & Westerman, D. (2013). Young adults’ use of communication technology within their romantic relationships and associations with attachment style. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), 1771–1778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.019
Nahm, F. S. (2017). What the P values really tell us. The Korean Journal of Pain, 30(4), 241. https://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2017.30.4.241
Ojo, A. O., Fawehinmi, O., & Yusliza, M. Y. (2021). Examining the predictors of resilience and work engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainability, 13(5), 2902. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052902
Pakdaman, S., Saadat, S. H., Shahyad, S., Ahmadi, K., & Hosseinialhashemi, M. (2016). The role of attachment styles and resilience on loneliness. International Journal of Medical Research & Health Sciences, 5(9), 268–274. ISSN 2319-5886.
Sam, J. (2014). Examining the relationship between attachment style and resilience during adolescence [Master dissertation, University of British Columbia]. UBC Theses and Dissertations. https://doi.org/10.14288/1.0167256
Scharfe, E., & Bartholomew, K. (1994). Reliability and stability of adult attachment patterns. Personal Relationships, 1(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1994.tb00053.x
Senchak, M., & Leonard, K. E. (1992). Attachment styles and marital adjustment among newlywed couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 9(1), 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407592091003
Simpson, J. A. (1990). Influence of attachment styles on romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59(5), 971–980. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.59.5.971
Sternberg, R. J. (1986). Triangular theory of love. Encyclopedia of Social Psychology, 93(2). https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412956253.n591
Timmermans, E., & Courtois, C. (2018). From swiping to casual sex and/or committed relationships: Exploring the experiences of Tinder users. The Information Society, 34(2), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/01972243.2017.1414093
van der Zanden, T., Schouten, A. P., Mos, M., van der Lee, C., & Krahmer, E. (2019). Effects of relationship goal on linguistic behavior in online dating profiles: A multi-method approach. Frontiers in Communication, 4.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2019.00022
Wagnild, G. (2009). The resilience scale user’s guide for the US English version of the resilience scale and the 14-item resilience scale (RS-14). Montana.
Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (2001). Journeys from Childhood to Midlife: Risk, Resilience, and Recovery. Cornell University Press.
In-Text Citation: (Muyang et al., 2023)
To Cite this Article: Muyang, R. E., Jamil, A. M., & Chan, S. L. (2023). Relationship between Attachment Styles and Personal Resilience among Malaysian Young Adults. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(5), 2773 – 2790.
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non0-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode